Junk Mail

That envelope stuffed with discount coupons may be junk mail to you, but it's become a cost-effective way for a growing number of small businesses to get inside your home to peddle their products. It has also become a gold mine for Money Mailer, a Huntington Beach direct-mail firm that specializes in helping proprietors of small businesses band together to pitch their wares in one mailing. Money Mailer is one of a few national firms that specialize in what is called "cooperative" advertising.

There's junk mail, and then there's nasty mail: San Francisco writer Lisa McIntire says Bank of America sent her a credit card offer addressed to "Lisa Is a Slut McIntire," and she posted photos of it Thursday on Twitter. The bank tweeted her an apology and pledged to investigate, but the problem apparently originated with an academic society that was marketing jointly with the bank. McIntire, 32, said in a phone interview that she learned about the mail in a text exchange with her mother, a screen grab of which she also posted on Twitter.

Re "Lender uses fear as a sales pitch," Column, Nov. 27 I sometimes receive the letters attempting to trick homeowners into expensive refinancing that David Lazarus warns about, and there's a sure-fire way to tell if they are legitimate without even opening the envelope: If the indicia (the box printed in the upper right corner) says "standard mail," immediately throw it into your recycle bin. "Standard mail" is the Postal Service's name for junk mail. Any legitimate company would send mail about potential problems with your mortgage as first-class mail, not at lower-rate bulk prices.

February 6, 2014 | By Matt Pearce, This post has been updated, as indicated below.

There's junk mail, and then there's nasty mail: San Francisco writer Lisa McIntire says Bank of America sent her a credit card offer addressed to "Lisa Is A Slut McIntire," and she posted photos of it on Twitter on Thursday. BofA tweeted her an apology and pledged to investigate. [Updated, 5:45 p.m. Feb. 6: But the problem apparently originated with an academic society that was jointly marketing with the bank. ] McIntire, 32, told the Los Angeles Times in a phone interview that she first learned about the mail in a text exchange with her mother, which she posted on Twitter.

Few people like junk mail, telemarketing calls or unsolicited offers that come by email. But can you stop them? Not entirely, but you can cut them back, often severely, by following these five steps: • If you haven't already, put your phone number on the Federal Trade Commission's do-not-call registry. Telemarketers have to stop calling 31 days after you register at http://www.donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222. This will not, however, stop calls from political organizations, charities or businesses with which you have a relationship.

An off-and-on customer of OfficeMax, Mike Seay has gotten the office supply company's junk mail for years. But the mail that the grieving Lindenhurst, Ill., father said he got from OfficeMax last week was different. It was addressed to "Mike Seay, Daughter Killed in Car Crash. " Strange as that sounds, the mail reached the right guy. Seay's daughter Ashley, 17, was killed in a car crash with her boyfriend last year. OfficeMax somehow knew. And in a world where bits of personal data are mined from customers and silently sold off and shuffled among corporations, Seay appears to be the victim of some marketing gone horribly wrong.

Tammie, like many people, receives catalogs she doesn't want. Lots of them. She wants to know: How did these guys find her? And what can she do to get rid of them? Finding people is the easy part. Marketers routinely buy and sell mailing lists. There are also list brokers who make a living selling consumers' contact info, sliced and diced into every possible demographic and personal interest. ASK LAZ: Smart answers to consumer questions Getting rid of an unwanted marketer can be a chore.

Here's my response to the U.S. Postal Service canceling Saturday mail service: What a relief. Hey, I love the idea of getting wonderful things in the mail: big fat checks or torrid declarations of love (from someone I want to hear from). But the letter carrier doesn't deliver those things anymore, for the most part. Money you've earned gets deposited directly into your bank account. Lovers text and call. The last exciting piece of mail I got was my W-2 form. That means I can start the process of getting my income tax refund -- which won't come by mail but will be, yes, electronically deposited.

Re "Lender uses fear as a sales pitch," Column, Nov. 27 I sometimes receive the letters attempting to trick homeowners into expensive refinancing that David Lazarus warns about, and there's a sure-fire way to tell if they are legitimate without even opening the envelope: If the indicia (the box printed in the upper right corner) says "standard mail," immediately throw it into your recycle bin. "Standard mail" is the Postal Service's name for junk mail. Any legitimate company would send mail about potential problems with your mortgage as first-class mail, not at lower-rate bulk prices.

Re "Fixing the filibuster," Editorial, Nov. 25 Indeed, we should rein in this obnoxious abuse. As you write, "Senators who want to mount a filibuster should have just one chance of doing so" - preferably only once in six years, in my opinion. As Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein make clear in their book, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks," today's senators use the filibuster infinitely more often than their predecessors did. Worse yet, they have added the shameful custom of the "hold," by which a single senator can secretly stop any legislation or nomination from being debated or coming to a vote.

SACRAMENTO - Let's see. Maybe: "Money Launderers for Campaign Finance Reform. " No, that probably wouldn't sell. Could try: "Tax Exempt Fat Cats Against Higher Taxes for School Kids. " Nope. That one doesn't have the right ring, either. There's always: "California Reformers Against Special Interests and Higher Taxes. " That's more traditional and has much better voter appeal. INTERACTIVE: California propositions guide This is all facetious, of course, sort of. The real name is the Small Business Action Committee PAC, No on 30/Yes on 32. Citizens for Reforming Sacramento.

Many people think the U.S. Postal Service is supported by tax dollars. It isn't. The nice folk who bring us snail mail are required by law to pay their own way in the world. They were allowed, though, to borrow cash from the U.S. Treasury, up to $15 billion. The Postal Service hit that limit on Sept. 28, the agency says. In other words, they've maxed out their credit card. What that means, barring an infusion of bailout cash from Uncle Sam, is that the Postal Service will have to significantly jack up rates to survive.